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The Morepath Herald are reporting: Time to toe line on foot care?
Quote:
New research reveals that more than one in three MPs would not want a friend or neighbour to cut their toenails.
However, as many as one in three adults over 65 – that's two million people in England - cannot cut their own toenails and often have to resort to such desperate measures.
Seven out of ten MPs strongly believe that the NHS should provide free toenail cutting and other foot care services for all older people who need it.Yet in a separate survey, nearly half of MPs surveyed still haven't taken any direct action, such as seeking the views of their constituents and raising them with ministers to help resolve the problem.
It is increasingly difficult for older people to get foot care treatment on the NHS as more and more basic foot care services are being withdrawn or restricted due to budget cuts. Overwhelmingly, nine out of ten MPs agreed that older people should not have to wait over 18 weeks for NHS chiropody services. However, until foot care is included in the NHS 18 week referral time, older people will continue to be forced to pay for private chiropody, wait on long waiting lists, or simply do without.
Private foot care is simply not an option for most pensioners as a private chiropodist can cost up to £30 per session – over a third of the weekly basic state pension. Six months on from the launch of Age Concern's Feet for Purpose campaign, the Government and Primary Care Trust commissioners still haven't shown any commitment to addressing this growing problem.
Gordon Lishman, Director General of Age Concern England said: "Up until now, the Government has clearly shown little consideration for a key service that would help millions of older people to stay on their feet. These foot care services are far removed from glamorous pampering sessions at the spa – they are a necessity.
"We are calling for the Department of Health and PCTs across the country to consult older people and assess their foot care needs. They must ensure foot care services are accessible and available for free to all older people who need them.
"All too often, the most vulnerable and poorest of older people suffer in silence; day by day losing their dignity and lust for life. The Government needs to look beyond its short sighted approach to heath care and look into longer-term preventative services like foot care."
Re: One in three MPs would not want a friend or neighbour to cut their toenails
Interesting that it's Age Concern making the running on this issue, rather than the professional bodies. It all begs the question (which has been aired on other threads), who should carry out this service? Is it the job of the highly trained podiatrist or an assistant or Age Concern employees with very basic training? Should the patients (clients) be provided with the service by graduate pp's or FHPs and what, if anything, should the contribution of the 'government' ie. taxpayers, ie. us, be?
Whatever the case, it seems that once again the professional bodies are allowing themselves to get left behind, are failing to promote their membership and are not being perceived as the authority on all things feet.
Re: One in three MPs would not want a friend or neighbour to cut their toenails
Couldn't agree more, Bill. Given the prevarication by the Society on this issue - they remained silent on 'service redesign' and 'rationalisation' for many years even when it was quite obvious that hundreds of thousands of patients were systematically being removed from NHS lists - the spectre of vested interests rears its ugly head once more. One would have thought that a Trade Union would shout the loudest on behalf of the elderly, infirm and socially excluded - but perhaps not when a significantly influential proportion of its Council Members are those who introduced the policies which excluded patients in the first place! Also interesting that the Society has been singularly unhelpful in assisting members in private practice with the Commissioning process. A conflict of interest perhaps?
Re: One in three MPs would not want a friend or neighbour to cut their toenails
Quote:
Private foot care is simply not an option for most pensioners as a private chiropodist can cost up to £30 per session – over a third of the weekly basic state pension. Six months on from the launch of Age Concern's Feet for Purpose campaign, the Government and Primary Care Trust commissioners still haven't shown any commitment to addressing this growing problem.
Oh my, here we go again.
I do so wish that Age Concern would stop pulling this one out of the bag and get to know the private sector footcare providers a little more. 6 months on and how many have dropped you a line to see what care you can provide and at what cost? I bet many more of us have contacted them to be met with a brick wall.
Thoroughly enjoyed seeing a half dozen well informed potential customers of Age Concern today. Full of the joys of spring they were and quite happy to pay £10 for a 10 min nail cut. Are these people better informed than Age Concern? Perhaps. But they can spot a good deal and are more than happy to pay full price if a podiatry problem crops up!
I am sorry, I just can't deal with this pensioners can't afford it rubbish. What about Social Care payments? Are they given to be spent or saved?
Re: One in three MPs would not want a friend or neighbour to cut their toenails
At least one PCT has got a boost. The Preston Citizen are reporting: Podiatry services get £48,000 cash boost
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Central Lancashire PCT (PCT) has invested an additional £48,000 in its podiatry service so that patients across Preston, Chorley and South Ribble can be treated faster than ever before.
A massive £26,000 has been pumped into the Chorley and South Ribble area with £22,000 for Preston.
Preston patients were waiting about 29 weeks for initial assessment of their foot problem in July 2007.
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As a result of this investment, the PCT has been able to carry out additional assessment sessions at the Preston Healthport site.
According to health bosses patients in the Preston area can now expect to receive an initial assessment appointment within six weeks of their application being received by the Referral Management Centre which books the appointments for patients.
Funding has also been used to ensure that patients can be followed up within appropriate timescales.
The Preston waiting list money was also used to reduce the waiting times for patients requiring either partial or total removal of toe nails.
These procedures are carried out to correct malformed nails or ingrowing toe nails.
Extra assessment and surgical sessions have been provided at the Avenham Clinic, Preston, for this initiative.
Julie Nowell, podiatry lead for the Preston area, said: "We have improved the patient journey through our service and significantly cut the waiting list down.
"The aim was to offer a more responsive service to the patients in Preston, and this has been successful."
Re: One in three MPs would not want a friend or neighbour to cut their toenails
Dear Twirly,
Thanks means you will be WELSH !!!!!!!!
There should be a system whereby People who only require routine nail can access this care from a local Private Practitioner.
The NHS is a Health Care Provider and should only provide care that is Health based eg Diabetes Wound care Rheumatic conditions.
This way the NHS could better target its money on those with greatest need and thus keep them out of Hospital.
Private Practice is the BEST Environment for the provision of this service.
No matter what happens the NHS will always be unable to meet demand so use another provider PRIVATE PRACTICE.
God this topic Micturates me off.
Especially the so called vested interest charities who bleat on long and loud about a simple service that could be provided easily within private practice.
One in three MPs would not want a friend or neighbour to cut their toenails
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